The Seattle Seahawks might have to make their final push for a playoff spot without both of their excellent starting cornerbacks. For this week, they already will be without one of them.

The NFL announced Wednesday that Brandon Browner immediately will start serving his four-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy and miss the Seahawks' final four regular-season games.

The Associated Press reported Browner had dropped his appeal of the four-game ban and that Walter Thurmond would start in his place. It's possible Browner wanted to be available if the Seahawks made the playoffs.

"I've been disappointed about the whole situation, that it is something that he had to deal with it and we had to deal with it, but there is nothing we can do at this point," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said, via The Associated Press.